James 'Maggie' Megellas, Fond du Lac war hero, dies at age of 103

World War II veteran James "Maggie" Megellas of Colleyville, Texas, the most decorated officer in the history of the famed U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, speaks about sacrifices made for freedom during a dedication of the main Nijmegen, the Netherlands, bridge in honor of the American paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne who lost their lives fighting for the bridge in World War II 65 years ago to the day, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. The event commemorated the 65th anniversary of his fellow paratroopers killed during the daring daylight river crossing where outnumbered Americans routed a much larger German force to gain control of Nijmegen's key bridges which occurred, Sept. 20, 1944, during Operation Market Garden. (Photo: Fond du Lac Reporter archives)

FOND DU LAC - World War II hero and Fond du Lac's famed son, James "Maggie" Megellas, has died — just weeks after celebrating his 103rd birthday.

The U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division announced Megellas passed Thursday, in his sleep, at his home in Collyville, Texas.

"This loss will be felt by us all. Remember, paratroopers never die, they just slip away," the division said in a Facebook post Friday morning.

Born on March 11, 1917, into Fond du Lac's Greek community, Megellas went on to become the first city council president and the most decorated officer of the 82nd Airborne Division during his service in World War II.

He was a senior at Ripon College when Pearl Harbor was attacked and barely six months later, landed in Italy as a commissioned officer on the eve of the Anzio beach invasion. During his time in combat leadership, Megellas was seriously wounded twice during actions in the Italian mountains, parachuted into the bloody battles of Holland's Operation Market Garden, took out a German tank with two hand grenades during the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate a Nazi prisoner of war camp.

His heroic exploits earned the war veteran two Bronze Stars, two Silver Stars, two Purple Hearts and the Distinguished Service Cross. In 1945, he was the first American to receive the "Military Order of Willhelm Orange Lanyard" from the Dutch Minister of War in Berlin.

Efforts by supporters of Megellas to see him awarded the Medal of Honor went on for decades, but it never came to fruition, despite introduction of legislation on his behalf from several political leaders. He was recommended for the award after the attack in Belgium, but it as downgraded to a Silver Star due to details omitted from the report.

On Jan. 28, 1945, in a firefight in Herresbach, Belgium, Megellas single-handedly disabled a German Mark V tank by throwing a grenade at it, and then jumped atop the tank, and threw another into the crew compartment. Not a single person in his platoon was lost that day, while the official count lists over 100 enemy soldiers killed and captured.

Jim Megellas listens as he is introduced to speak about his book, "All the Way to Berlin," in 2016 at the Fond du Lac Public Library. The book translation into Dutch is on the left. (Photo: USA TODAY NETWORL-Wisconsin file photo)

State Assembly Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) was still a Fond du Lac City Council member when he first spoke with Megellas. He said the two swapped stories of similar issues the city faced during both their tenures.

"I was stunned by this man's accomplishments, which are worthy of the Medal of Honor he unfortunately never received," Thiesfeldt said. "And I was always impressed by the vitality, this a man who lived to be 103, and the great pride he had in his country — the same pride he had in his fellow soldiers."

James Megellas, left, is pictured with Robert Kennedy, who was making a campaign appearance at the Hotel Retlaw in support of his brother John Kennedy's run for president in 1960 during Wisconsin's spring primary. James Megellas was a candidate for Congress. (Photo: Courtesy of Norman Lenburg Photo)

Recognizable by his wild shock of gray hair and ramrod straight posture — even in old age, Megellas shared his war stories openly, and felt it was important that future generations remember the great sacrifices made by U.S. forces during World War II. His description of his unit crossing the Netherland's Waal River in rowboats under pointblank German fire is harrowing, and scene is immortalized in the 1977 classic war film, "A Bridge too Far." In it, Megellas' role is portrayed by actor John Ratzenberger.

Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel said he admired the centenarian for his commitment to his country, not just during the war, but throughout his life.

"I would listen to him tell of his war experiences, which for anyone who has ever been in combat, many of those experiences are unthinkable, yet he spoke about in a way that made people understand what our military had to go through," Buechel said.

Throughout his life, Megellas remained beloved in his hometown, and was given a hero's welcome whenever he returned home. He last visited the city in 2019, for the celebration of his 102nd birthday.

"Everything I ever was, came from Fond du Lac," Megellas told The Reporter.

American Legion Trier-Puddy Post #75 is named the James "Maggie" Megellas Fond du Lac County Veterans Memorial Building. In 2016, the city's post office was renamed the Lieutenant Colonel James ‘Maggie’ Megellas Post Office. A city park near the Meadowlands subdivision also bears his name.

In 2010, Megellas was honored by the nation of Holland for his incomparable valor. On Sept. 30, 1944, while leading his platoon on a combat patrol, First Lt. Megellas crawled forward alone, killed two outpost guards and the crew of a machine gun nest. Advancing forward with his patrol, they then attacked and destroyed the main enemy defenses.

Richard LaRiviere, left, and James Megellas, both lieutenants at the time, are shown in Leicester, England, during World War II. Magellas later won a Silver Star for his actions. (Photo: The Market Garden Committee Foundation)

As his withdrew his platoon through enemy lines and under mortar fire, Megellas personally carried a wounded man while firing his Thompson machine gun with one hand.

'We never expected to get out alive," Megellas said in a 1977 interview with The Reporter. "My best friend and I promised each other that if one of us lived, we'd visit the other's mother at the end of the war."

His heroic service to his country is commemorated in the movie: "Maggie's War: A True Story of Courage, Leadership and Valor in World War II," and in Megellas' own autobiography: "All the Way to Berlin: A Paratrooper at War in Europe."

In the movie, which aired on PBS stations across the country, Megellas is seen as "someone who defied the odds, who embodies heroism, who views recognition in terms of 'all of us,' and who understands the meaning of a cause greater than one's self."

James Megellas, third from right in back row, poses with a Dutch family shortly after the jump into Holland on Sept. 17, 1944. (Photo: Courtesy of Market Garden Committee Foundation)

Megellas was discharged from the Army as a captain, continued as a citizen-soldier, and retired as a lieutenant colonel.

After the war, Megellas returned to Fond du Lac for several years, where he met his wife, Carole Laehn. In 1960, he was appointed by President John F. Kennedy to the directorship of the U.S. Agency for International Development and was posted to Yemen, Panama and Vietnam, where he helped to rebuild the country after the war.

Prior to his departure, he presented JFK and his wife Jackie the key to the city at The Retlaw Hotel during a campaign visit to Fond du Lac in February 1960.

Megellas made an unsuccessful run as a Democrat against William Van Pelt to represent Wisconsin's 6th District in 1958 and 1960.

Until their sons Steven and Jim were in middle school, the family lived in several different countries, staying the longest in Bogota, Columbia.

Megellas retired to Texas, but traveled throughout the world for specials honors and appearances. He made more than 500 speeches in his life, most recently at the United States Military Academy at West Point, inspiring young cadets to strive for honor, truth and valor.

“I always conclude by telling the story of a concentration camp we liberated during the war,” he said in 2019. “When we talked with the survivors, we realized the greater cause we were fighting for. We were fighting for the all the things we believed in.”

Contact reporter Sarah Razner at 920-907-7909 or srazner@gannett.com, or Sharon Roznik at 920-907-7936 or sroznik@gannett.com

Pictured is a painting by Simon Smith titled “Act of Valor.” Shown standing is James Megellas shortly after single-handedly disabling a German Panther tank on Jan. 28, 1945, in the town of Herresbach, Belgium. (Photo: Submitted)

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